The Darkness
2000 2001 2002 Joe Taylor and Paul Scaife at The Tip Sheet first heard about the band through a post on The Tip Sheet message board, and featured Love Is Only A Feeling in January 2002. AUG 12 I Believe In A Thing Called Love EP is released. UK #126 2003 FEB The debut single, Get Your Hands Off My Woman is released, peaking at UK #43 They started Record of the Day, and featured the song again around the time of SXSW in March 2003 JUNE 16 The second single, Growing On Me is released. UK #11 JULY 7 Their debut album, Permission to Land is released. It went straight to number two in the UK chart, before going to number one and staying there for four weeks, eventually going on to sell 1.5 million copies in the UK SEP 22 The third single I Believe In A Thing Called Love is released. UK #2 beaten by The Black Eyed Peas "Where Is the Love?" heavy touring for the band, including European portions of Metallica's Summer Sanitarium Tour 2003 Kerrang! Best Album (Permission to Land) Kerrang! Best Live Act Metal Hammer 'Golden God' for Best Single (Get Your Hands Off My Woman) DEC 15 The single, Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) is released. It was kept off the top spot by Gary Jules and Michael Andrews cover of Mad World 2004 MAR The single Love Is Only A Feeling is released. UK #5 APR 19 The band themselves seemed to show signs that they were disillusioned with their constant media appearances, infamously walking off of an episode of the U.S.-nationally-syndicated radio talk show Loveline (to the barely-concealed delight of hosts Adam Carolla and Dr. Drew Pinsky) Headlining the Carling Festival The band won three BRIT Awards in 2004 in response to the album, Best Group, Best Rock Group and Best Album. They also won two Kerrang! awards in 2004 for Best Live Act and Best British Band Kerrang! Best British Band Kerrang! Best Live Act Metal Hammer 'Golden God' for Best Video ("Love Is Only a Feeling") Ivor Novello Award for Songwriters of the Year BRIT Award for Best Act BRIT Award for Best Rock Act BRIT Award for Best Album (Permission to Land) MTV Europe Music Award for Best MTV2 UK & Ireland Act IFPI Platinum Europe Award for sales in Europe in excess of 1,000,000 (triple Platinum) (Permission to Land) Elle Style Award for Most Stylish Band Meteor Ireland Award for Best Album (Permission to Land) Smash Hits! Pollwinners' Party for Best Rock Award RIAA Digital Sales Certifications Gold Award for 100,000 downloads ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love") European Border Breakers Award for debut albums of European acts achieving the best sales outside of their country of origin in 2003 (Permission to Land) 2005 MAR Q magazine placed "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" at number 47 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks MAY 23 Bassist Frankie Poullain left the band during recording of their second album, One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back, apparently due to "musical differences". Frankie has disputed this version of events, claiming he was "frozen out" and forced to leave the band JUNE 13 The Darkness announced that Richie Edwards, formerly Dan's guitar technician, had replaced Frankie as bassist OCT A month before the album was to be officially released, Justin Hawkins won an eBay auction for a copy of One Way Ticket to Hell... and Back for £350 under the username 'turbogunhawk'. He claimed he did this so that he could track down whoever sold the digitally-marked advance copy of the album and try to prevent it from happening again NOV 14 The single One Way Ticket is released. UK #8 28 The groups second (and last) album is released. It peaks at UK #11 ASCAP Award for one of the Most Performed Works in the USA ("I Believe in a Thing Called Love") 2006 FEB 20 The single Is It Just Me? is released. UK# 8 MAY '''22 The single Girlfriend is released. It peaked at a low UK #39, mainly due to the lack of radio play and promotion. This will be their final single release before their break up '''AUG Lead singer Justin Hawkins is admitted to a rehabilitation clinic in concern of his health, which caused the band to cancel several concerts. Around this same time the band confirmed that they were to start working on their third album to be released early 2007 OCT 10 The Sun newspaper reports that Justin Hawkins is leaving the band after completing his course of rehabilitation from alcohol and cocaine problems. The article, and ensuing rumours, stated that the band would continue without him, possibly with Richie Edwards as the front man MTV Australia's Best Man Rock Video award ("One Way Ticket")